Crews Battling Thomas Fire Gearing Up for Wednesday ‘Wind Event’

Incident commanders express confidence firefighters can hold the line against predicted sundowners

Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Ryan Thomas hikes down steep terrain below East Camino Cielo on Tuesday to meet with his crew and root out and extinguish smoldering hot spots on the Thomas Fire. Incident commanders were expressing confidence their crews could keep the blaze in check in the face of high winds expected Wednesday night. (Mike Eliason / Santa Barbara County Fire Department photo)

What firefighters are calling a “wind event” — ripping downslope from the north at 15 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph — is expected to kick off between 6 and 8 p.m. Wednesday, and continue through the night before diminishing by mid-morning Thursday.

Santa Barbara County firefighters haul dozens of pounds of hose and equipment down steep terrain below East Camino Cielo to root out and extinguish smoldering hot spots on the Thomas Fire. (Mike Eliason / Santa Barbara County Fire Department photo)

“The wind is going to be huge,” Childers said. “Either we still fight fire after it, or we’re done…The whole team is all in agreement that this wind will be our test, and if we pass that test, we’re done.”

In preparing for that challenge, crews have spent the last three days building and expanding containment lines and cooling off hot spots near the edges and within the fire.

In and around structures in the foothills, firefighters have continued their “seek and destroy missions” aimed at locating and dousing embers and hot spots.

A Skycrane helitanker passes firefighters atop a hillside while coming in for a water drop below East Camino Cielo. (Mike Eliason / Santa Barbara County Fire Department photo)

As of Wednesday morning, the Thomas fire had charred 272,000 acres, and was closing in on the top spot on the state’s list of largest wildfires, currently held by the 2003 Cedar Fire in San Diego County, which burned 273,246 acres.

With burnout and other operations that are planned in coming days, there is little doubt the Thomas Fire, now No. 2 on the list, will become the state's largest-recorded wildfire.

Containment was at 60 percent, with a target date for full containment of Jan. 7.

As they were on Saturday, when early morning winds gusting to 65 mph caused the fire to explode and blacken more than 11,000 acres in about 12 hours, dozens of engines are positioned in threatened neighborhoods above Summerland, Montecito and Santa Barbara, and dozens more are staged at the Santa Barbara Polo Grounds and are ready to respond to any flare-ups, Childers noted.

Fire perimeter map as of Wednesday morning. Areas in red are active fire line; areas in black are contained. (CalFire)

One area of concern for fire managers is a stand of dense and desicated chaparral, dating to the early 1960s, that was not burned by the 2009 Jesusita Fire.

In that canyon — below East Camino Cielo and northwest of Flores Flat — crews spent the Monday and Tuesday building containment lines and laying down retardant to prevent any flames whipped up by Wednesday’s winds from gaining a toe-hold in the thick vegetation.

“I think we have it out, but that could be the only old fuels that could be exposed to the weather in front,” Childers said.

North of the mountains, firefighters had a good day working in the area in and around Pendola Station, upstream on the Santa Ynez River from Gibraltar Reservoir, according to Childers.

The last remaining hot spot was in an area where flames had moved north up Agua Caliente Creek, but he indicated crews had the situation there in hand.

Progress also was made on the fire's northern flank, along Highway 33 near Rose Valley and above the city of Fillmore, near the Sespe Wilderness.

With conditions improving on Monday and Tuesday, fire officials reduced or eliminated several evacuation orders and warnings from Carpinteria to the city of Santa Barbara, but it seemed unlikely there will be more evacuation changes prior to Wednesday’s wind event.

A CalFire inmate firefighting hand crew hikes through the charred landscape on their way to work east of Gibraltar Road above Montecito. (Mike Eliason / Santa Barbara County Fire Department photo)

Nothing is certain with a wildfire of this magnitude, but several fire officials told Noozhawk they expect most or all evacuation orders to be reduced, if not eliminated, on Thursday, assuming firefighters come through the wind event without a serious blow-up.

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